Mexican President Promises Investigation, Possible Sanctions Following Deaths Of CIA Agents In Northern Mexico
www.ibtimes.com

... Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she might take action against the local government of Chihuahua following the deaths of two CIA agents who were involved in an operation to destroy drug laboratories Sunday.

The deaths of the men and how much they were involved in the operation has sparked concerns about U.S. security activities in Mexico and whether the country's sovereignty was violated. Sheinbaum said that Mexico's federal government was not informed of the operation, something that goes against the law.

There cannot be agents from any U.S. government institution operating in the Mexican field," Sheinbaum said Wednesday, according to CBS News.

The two men died in a vehicle crash on Sunday following the operation along with two Mexican law enforcement officials. A press release from the Chihuahua Attorney General's office noted that "two instructor officers from the United States Embassy...died in an accident while returning from the operation to destroy clandestine laboratories in the municipality of Morelos."

The release further states that the two U.S. men were "two instructor officers from the United States Embassy, who were carrying out training work as part of the exchange that is generally and normally carried out with the American authorities."

Multiple media reports this week have identified the men as CIA agents.

Chihuahua authorities eventually rejected any notion that the men had participated in the operation directly, saying they were several hours away at the time it happened and were conducting training operations. ...

Trik Turner - Friends & Family (2002)
www.youtube.com

Lyrics excerpt ...

genius.com

...
[Verse 1]
Some call me a loser
Some call me a cheater
Some say I'm a selfish untalented dreamer
Cause all's I try to do is keep my dream alive

But it's so hard to do when you're working 9 to 5
I've never been one afraid to die
But I'm afraid to leave behind
The precious life that grows through the sands of time

Cause now I've got two daughters
And I know they need their father
To help them make it through all of the devious things that people do
Cause every moment counts from the good times to the bad
I don't have time to envy those that got things I've never had
Cause the one thing most important is the one we take for granted
And until your life is on that line I think it's the way god had planned it

To open up your eyes and make you realize
That to some life is money
But what's money without life
Cause all's I need is the air that I breathe
And my friends and family to believe in me

[Chorus]
As deep as the abyss where the waters run
As deep as the land of the rising sun
You know I'm down
And even when them odds are against us
It doesn't even matter
Nothing else matters

As deep as the abyss where the waters run
As deep as the land of the rising sun
You know I'm down
And even when them odds are against us
It doesn't even matter
Nothing else matters

[Verse 2]
We bleed the same blood
We cry the same tears
We have the same fears
We pass the same years
We see the same stars
Under the same skies

We pass the same time
We all live and die

Cause friends and family wash thicker than blood

And if ya' never felt love than I feel for you cuz'

Cuz' lives pass above us 747's
Deceased dwell below us
Before they go to heaven

Deep like seven leagues life intrigues intelligence
Got no time for clutter, you're late if there's hesitance
Put your foot forward and there will be a helping hand
Take a step back and you're stuck in the quick sand
Ingesting toxins keeps us locked in, a mental jail trap
2000' where's your family at

[Bridge:]
Oh, and I might fail
Oh, I might succeed
Whatever the outcome is
Just keep your faith in me
Just believe in me
And I will be there
...

thingy
en.wiktionary.org

...
thingy (plural thingies)

              (informal) A thing (used to refer to something vaguely or when one cannot recall or does not wish to mention its name)
...

Pentagon intel says Iran retains 'key military capabilities,' contradicting Trump-Hegseth claims: US Media Report
economictimes.indiatimes.com

... Synopsis

A Pentagon assessment reveals Iran retains its "key military capabilities," contradicting Trump's claims that its forces were "decimated." While Trump extended a ceasefire at Pakistan's request, Tehran rejected the move, stating the "losing side cannot set the terms" and calling for military action against the continuing US "blockade." ...

Tehran did not request ceasefire extension, Iran's Tasnim News Agency says
www3.nhk.or.jp

... Iran's Tasnim News Agency has reported, citing multiple sources, that Tehran did not request a ceasefire extension, despite US President Donald Trump announcing one on social media.

Tasnim, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Wednesday that Trump's announcement shows he knows he will achieve nothing through war, so he is considering the best possible way to exit it.

The news agency also said that continuing the naval blockade means continuing hostilities. It added that Iran will not open the Strait of Hormuz at least as long as the blockade remains in place and will break the blockade by force if necessary. ...

OpEd: Trump's best-and-brightest problem (2018)
www.chicagotribune.com

... Way back in 2015, shortly after Donald Trump announced his presidential run and the country began to learn what New Yorkers had always known about him, he reassured folks that he was a talent magnet.

"I'm going to surround myself only with the best and most serious people," he boasted to The Washington Post back then. "We want top-of-the line professionals."

And, here we are. Boris Epshteyn, Anthony Scaramucci, Sebastian Gorka, Carter Page, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Corey Lewandowski, Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and others all have come and gone. ...

John Fetterman: Everyone loses' in Virginia redistricting approval
www.newsnationnow.com

... Virginia voters approving redistricting of congressional seats in the state leaves Sen. John Fetterman believing both the Democratic and Republican parties come out on the wrong end of it all.

"I get the logic of doing things, but overall, we all lose at this point," the Pennsylvania Democrat said during a "CUOMO" appearance Tuesday. "I mean, the wrong thing doesn't make it the right thing, but that's where we are."

The redrawn congressional districts in the state essentially give Democrats a 10-1 edge in the state's delegation.

"If we continue to just attack the other side, whether it's a red state or whether it's a blue state, our democracy is degraded," Fetterman added. "It should have never come to that, honestly. The people should pick the politicians."

"The politicians should never pick their politicians. And so for me, it's a lose. It was necessary based on what Texas decided to do, but overall, our democracy hurts through this."

Virginia is the latest state to redraw lines to give an advantage to one party. States such as Texas and Missouri have changed lines that benefit Republicans. California also redistricted, which could potentially give Democrats additional seats. Now, Virginia has done the same. ...

Democrats boost midterm edge with Virginia redistricting win: 5 takeaways
thehill.com

... Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a mid-decade redistricting plan that could help Democrats win four more House seats ahead of the November midterms

Voters in the Old Dominion approved a temporary amendment to the state constitution allowing Democrats to draw new congressional lines favoring the party in all but one of its 11 House districts. Democrats currently hold a 6-5 edge, and the new map will hold until the process reverts back to a bipartisan redistricting commission after the 2030 Census. ...

The early vote looked slightly redder than what was seen in last year's general election in the state, signaling a potential path for the "no" campaign to win. The election day vote, though, wasn't red enough to secure a win.

Still, Republicans and anti-gerrymandering voices are touting "no"-vote turnout as a strong message of resistance to the Democrat-led plan.

"Even in defeat, this is a powerful message," said Brian Cannon, co-chair of the advisory council to the bipartisan group No Gerrymandering Virginia. "Despite being outspent by well over $60 million and facing biased ballot language, over a million Virginians stood up against a partisan power grab."

Richard Hudson, chairman of GOP's House campaign arm, also pointed to the tight margin, arguing it "reinforces that Virginia is a purple state that shouldn't be represented by a severe partisan gerrymander." ...